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Migrant deaths in Croatia highlight alternative Balkan route

Two migrants have been found dead in a Croatian forest, apparent victims of a landslide. The men are thought to have been traveling through Bosnia, where authorities say 4,000 migrants are waiting to enter the EU.

Two young men who appear to have sneaked into EU member Croatia have been found dead in a forest near the town of Dreznica.

"Twelve people were found of whom two were dead," police spokeswoman Senka Staroveski told reporters.

The circumstances of their deaths remain unclear, but daily newspaper Jutarnji List said the men, with Syrian documents, had been crushed to death by a rock after a landslide while they slept.

Since January, more than 80 migrants have died along refugee routes starting in Turkey, according to estimates by Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The most common causes of death have been drowning, freezing temperatures or road accidents.

At the height of the migrant crisis in 2015, hundreds of thousands of people entered Europe through Greece and traveled onward along the Balkan route through Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia, Austria and on into Germany and beyond. Some also used eastern paths through Bulgaria and Romania.

But since countries along the Balkan route began fencing off their borders in early 2016, migrants have been forced to take alternatives routes.

Bosnia estimates that around 10,000 people have entered its more rugged territory so far this year, with 4,000 of them now located in the towns of Bihac and Velika Kladusa.

The towns lie near the border with Croatia, which is striving to become part of Europe's free-movement Schengen zone.

According to the United Nations, some 7,600 newly arrived migrants — mainly from Pakistan, Syria and Afghanistan — were registered in Bosnia in the first half of 2018.

Red Cross and local Bosnian volunteers have reportedly been providing meals and other basic services to those camping out in parks or abandoned buildings.

Living in the jungle: Refugees stranded at the Serbian-Croatian border

Odd one out

Dragan (center), a Macedonian migrant, is hidden in the forests near the Serbian-Croatian border, as he tries to cross to central Europe with other migrants from Arab countries. Dragan, along with one Chinese migrant, is an oddity among the hundreds of Syrians and Afghans stranded in Šid, Serbia

Living in the jungle: Refugees stranded at the Serbian-Croatian border

Plotting their next move

Afghan asylum seekers on the roof of an old abandoned factory in Sid, which serves as a temporary abode, while away their time as they plot their next move to try and reach a western European country.

Living in the jungle: Refugees stranded at the Serbian-Croatian border

Risking their lives

Migrants walk on the railway tracks which connect Serbia and Croatia near the northern village of Sid, Serbia. According to reports, two people were hit by a train after they had fallen asleep on the tracks.

Living in the jungle: Refugees stranded at the Serbian-Croatian border

Living in the "Jungle"

More than 150 people are hidden in the so-called jungle — an area with dense bushes next to the train lines which connect Serbia and Croatia. Most have tried to cross to western Europe in different ways: either with the help of smugglers, alone or in groups, by jumping on trucks or hiding in freight train wagons.

Living in the jungle: Refugees stranded at the Serbian-Croatian border

Washing away the dirt

Ibrahim from Afghanistan washes himself in a cold stream under a bridge near the Serbian village of Sid. Hundreds of refugees and migrants live in untenable conditions, without basic facilities and amenities.

Living in the jungle: Refugees stranded at the Serbian-Croatian border

Breakfast on wheels

"No Name Kitchen" is run by a small group of volunteers who distribute breakfast and provide help to refugees and migrants stranded on the Serbian-Croatian border. The authorities have largely abandoned the refugees.

Living in the jungle: Refugees stranded at the Serbian-Croatian border

Maybe next time

Jadali, 22, from Afghanistan, had just returned to Sid following a failed attempt to reach western Europe. He was stuck in jail in Croatia for two days before being released by the authorities, who, as he claims, treated him roughly.

Living in the jungle: Refugees stranded at the Serbian-Croatian border

Food, glorious food

Two migrants cook dinner for those who gather in the abandoned factory during the evenings near the Serbian border village. Hundreds of asylum seekers face hunger, hardship, injuries and daily violence as they try to survive in the middle of nowhere.

Living in the jungle: Refugees stranded at the Serbian-Croatian border

Tracks of my tears

A migrant walks towards a freight train. Moments later he will try to hide in an abandoned wagon in an attempt to cross the Croatian border and eventually reach another European country.

Living in the jungle: Refugees stranded at the Serbian-Croatian border

Next stop western Europe?

Those who can afford more expensive smuggling methods choose to pay taxis to take them across Croatia. The price for a ride is around €1,200 ($1,400).

Author: Dimitris Tosidis (Serbia)

EU funds for Bosnia

Anger in Bihac over the Bosnian government's allegedly poor handling of the influx coincided Friday with an EU promise to grant Bosnia €6 million ($6.85 million).

That would be on top of €1.5 million granted in June and would help Bosnia tackle human trafficking and strengthen border control, said EU officials.

Last Tuesday, Bosnian Security Minister Dragan Mektic said the EU had agreed to fund a reception center in Bosnia's northwest.

Another facility in a former military barracks is being planned in Hadzici, near Sarajevo, with support from the Council of Europe Development Bank.

The Czech Republic announced Tuesday that it would give Bosnia about 1 million euros for equipment such as thermal imaging cameras, telescopes and drones to deter new arrivals.